Keywords
- 801.
A Keyword is a specific term that appears on Cards that acts as a shorthand for a specific game effect, or ability of any variety.
- 801.3.a.1.
The definition and rules of the specific Keyword will determine the behavior if a Keyword is granted while it is already present.
- 801.3.a.3.
If an effect that grants a Keyword does not specify a duration, the duration is as long as that Game Object remains on the Board or in its current Non-Board Zone.
- 801.3.b.2.
If an effect that removes a Keyword does not specify a duration, the duration is as long as that Game Object remains on the Board or in its current Non-Board Zone.
- 803.
Similar to other rules text, execute any effects of Keywords in the order listed when reading the card from top to bottom of the rules text.
- 805.1.a.
Accelerate is functionally short for "As you play me, you may pay [1][C] as an additional cost. If you do, I enter ready."
- 805.1.a.1.
If the unit has one or more domains, the Power portion of the Accelerate cost can be paid only with a Power that matches one of the domains of the unit.
- 805.1.a.2.
If the unit has no domain, the Power portion of the Accelerate cost can be paid with [A] (a Power of any domain).
- 805.2.
Accelerate is an Optional Additional Cost to be paid as a player plays the unit with the ability.
- 805.2.a.
Accelerate costs cannot be paid while the unit is on the board, only as part of the steps of playing a card.
- 805.2.b.new
Paying the cost generates a delayed Replacement Effect. Even if the unit loses the accelerate keyword during the finalization process, as long as the cost was paid, that unit will still enter ready.
- 805.5.
Accelerate, and whether or not a unit has Accelerate, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 805.6.
Accelerate generates a delayed replacement effect that replaces a unit entering the board exhausted with it entering ready. It does not enter exhausted and then become ready.
- 805.6.a.
Accelerate will not interact with, or trigger, abilities that are affected by units becoming ready.
- 806.1.b.
Action grants the corresponding card or effect permission to be played or activated during Showdowns, even when it is not the Controlling player's turn.
- 806.2.
The card or effect with this keyword is not restricted to showdowns. This permission is inclusive of all other timings and options available to the ability as written or by default.
- 806.3.
Action does not alter the function of any instruction of the corresponding card or effect it is on. It is
only permission.
Example: Playing a Unit with Action still has the inherent restrictions of playing Units without Action. It can only be played to the controlling player's base or a battlefield they control.
- 806.4.
Some passive abilities may grant a card or ability Action under certain conditions. The card or ability does not have the Action keyword unless and until those circumstances are true.
- 806.4.a.
Those conditions might only be fulfilled while the card or ability is on the chain. In such a case, it can still be played or activated at the appropriate timing as long as doing so could fulfill the conditions.
- 806.4.b.
If the chain item does not fulfill the conditions by the time step 5: check legality has been reached, the actions taken while playing it are undone and it is returned to the zone it was played from if it is a card.
- 806.5.a.
Whether or not a Game Object has Action is a characteristic of that Game Object and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 806.5.b.
Whether or not a Spell has Action is a characteristic of that Spell and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 806.5.c.
Whether or not an Ability has Action is a characteristic of that Ability and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 807.2.
If a Unit has Assault or has been granted Assault and is granted Assault by an additional source, the Assault Value of all granted Assault keywords is summed.
Example: Petty Officer has Assault. It is chosen as the target of Cleave, which says "Give a unit [Assault 3] this turn." After Cleave resolves, Petty Officer has Assault 4 this turn.
- 807.3.
Assault, and whether or not a unit has Assault, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 808.1.b.1.
[Effect] is the rules text for the specific instance of Deathknell. This is referred to as the Deathknell effect.
- 808.1.d.
The Trigger for this and similar effects that trigger on their source’s death is the Permanent being Killed and sent to the Trash.
- 808.1.d.1.
If the Permanent with the effect is not sent to the Trash, for example because its "killed" event was replaced with a recall, the triggered ability will be removed from the chain.
Example: Draven, Audacious is killed in combat. Draven reads in part
“When I die in combat, choose an opponent. They gain 1 point.” Draven’s
controller has a Zhonya’s Hourglass in base. Draven’s death is replaced by
him being healed, recalled, and exhausted. Draven’s triggered ability will
be removed from the chain.
- 808.1.d.2.
The trigger will be added to the chain as a Pending Item before the card with an ability that triggers on its own death is moved to the trash due to a Kill instruction or a Cleanup.
- 808.1.d.3.
Before the card is moved to the Trash, note its location, its attributes, and any other details related to the effect of its triggered ability to process the trigger after it has been Finalized.
- 808.3.
Deathknell, and whether or not a permanent has Deathknell, is a characteristic of the permanent and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 809.1.c.
It is functionally short for "Spells and abilities an opponent controls that target [me/this] cost an amount of Power equal to [Deflect Value] more to play as an additional cost for each time they choose [me/this]."
- 809.1.c.1.
The Power used to pay this cost may always be of any Domain.
Example: A Fury spell targets an Order unit with Deflect. The Power used to pay the Deflect cost can be any Domain; it does not need to match the Domain of the spell or the target.
- 809.2.
If a Game Object has Deflect, or has been granted Deflect, and is granted Deflect by an additional source, the Deflect Value of all granted Deflect keywords is summed.
- 809.3.
Deflect, and whether or not a Game Object has Deflect, is a characteristic of the permanent and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 810.1.b.
It is functionally short for "I may move to a battlefield from another battlefield with a standard move."
- 810.1.c.3.
It does not give additional abilities or activations of Movement, only new options for the Standard Move.
- 810.3.
Ganking, and whether or not a unit has Ganking, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 811.1.b.
It is functionally short for "While this card is in your hand or in your Champion Zone on your turn during an Open State, you may pay [A] to hide this facedown at a battlefield you control that doesn't already have a facedown card hidden there for as long as you control that battlefield. Beginning on the next turn, this gains [Reaction] and you may play this, ignoring its base cost."
- 811.1.d.
Some choices made while playing a card from Hidden are restricted to the battlefield where it was hidden. A card cannot be played from Hidden if it is a spell with no valid targets under these restrictions.
See rule 355.6. Targeting for more information.
- 811.1.d.1.a.
This includes hidden gear, and overrides the normal restriction that gear have in only being allowed to be played to base.
- 811.1.d.2.
If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent chooses any targets, those targets must be chosen from among options at that battlefield, unless the ability explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible.
Example: Blastcone Fae is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me, give a unit -2 [M] this turn, to a minimum of 1 [M].” Because this is a play effect, its target must be chosen from among units at the same battlefield if Blastcone Fae was played from Hidden.
Example: Tideturner is a unit with Hidden and “When you play me, you may choose a unit you control at another location. Move me to its location and it to my original location.” Because its play effect has a targeting restriction that can never be fulfilled by a unit at its battlefield, its target may be chosen freely from among the available options.
- 811.1.d.2.a.new
Each target is treated separately and individually when processing this rule.
Example: Smoke and Mirrors is a spell that reads in part “Choose a unit you control and another unit you control at a different location.” If Smoke and Mirrors is played from hidden, the first unit chosen can be chosen at the battlefield Smoke and Mirrors was played from, so it must be. The second unit chosen explicitly restricts targeting in a way that makes this impossible, so it can be chosen from any location.
- 811.1.d.3.
If a hidden spell or a play effect of a hidden permanent causes you to play a unit, you must choose to play that unit at that battlefield.
- 811.2.
Abilities and instructions of hidden cards other than the choices listed above function as normal.
Example: Stand United is a spell that has Hidden and says “Buff a friendly unit. Buffs give an additional +1 might to friendly units this turn.” If it’s played from Hidden, the first part of its ability must choose a friendly unit at the same battlefield, but the second part of its ability affects all friendly units with buffs, no matter where they are.
- 811.3.
Instead of being hidden, a card with Hidden may be played for its cost as normal, at its normal timing with no restrictions on targeting.
- 811.5.
Hidden, and whether or not a card has Hidden, is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 811.6.
A card that is Hidden gains Reaction while facedown or played from facedown, and may be played any time a card with Reaction may be played as a result.
- 812.1.b.
Starting from the Keyword to the end of the clause, the entire statement is the Legion Ability.
- 812.1.b.1.
Legion is functionally short for “If you have played another card this turn, this card gains [Text].”
- 812.1.c.
As long as a card different than the one with the Legion ability has been Finalized by you on the same turn then the Dependent Ability is Active on the card with Legion.
- 812.2.
All instances of Legion on cards a player controls are satisfied by that player playing a single card.
Example: One card has three different Legion Abilities. The Legion Text of all three abilities will be active as long as one card has been finalized by the card's controller earlier in the same turn.
- 812.3.
Legion, and whether or not a card has Legion, is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 813.1.c.2.
On Activated Abilities: "This can be activated during Closed States on any player's turn."
- 813.2.
The corresponding card or effect with this keyword is not restricted to Closed States or Showdowns. This permission is inclusive of all other timings and options available to the ability as written, Action's permissions, or by default.
- 813.3.
Reaction does not alter the function of any instruction of the Card, Rune, or Effect it is on. It is only Permission.
- 813.3.a.
Playing Units with Reaction still has the inherent restrictions of playing Units without Reaction. It can only be played to the controlling player's base or a battlefield they control.
- 813.4.
Some passive abilities may grant a card or ability Reaction under certain conditions. The card or ability does not have the Reaction keyword unless and until those circumstances are true.
- 813.4.a.
Those conditions might only be fulfilled while the card or ability is on the chain. In such a case, it can still be played or activated at the appropriate timing as long as doing so could fulfill the conditions.
- 813.4.b.
If the chain item does not fulfill the conditions by the time step 5: check legality has been reached, the actions taken while playing it are undone and it is returned to the zone it was played from if it is a card.
- 813.5.a.
Whether or not a Game Object has Reaction is a characteristic of that Game Object and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 813.5.b.
Whether or not a Spell has Reaction is a characteristic of that Spell and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 813.5.c.
Whether or not an Ability has Reaction is a characteristic of that Ability and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 814.2.
If a Unit has Shield, or has been granted Shield, and is granted Shield by an additional source, the Shield Value of all granted Shield keywords is summed.
Example: Stalwart Poro has Shield. It is chosen as the target of Block, which says "Give a unit [Shield 3] and [Tank] this turn." After Block resolves, Stalwart Poro has Shield 4 this turn.
- 814.3.
Shield, and whether or not a unit has Shield, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 815.1.b.
It is functionally short for "I must be assigned lethal damage before any other unit with the same controller as me that does not have [Tank] during the Combat Damage step."
- 815.1.c.1.
Players must still assign lethal damage to a unit before moving to the next when assigning their damage.
- 815.1.c.2.
If more than one unit with Tank is present with the same controller in Combat, damage may be assigned to any of them. Units without Tank are invalid assignments until all units with Tank have lethal damage assigned to them.
- 815.3.
Tank, and whether or not a unit has Tank, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 817.2.b.
If the player does not recycle the top card and nothing else happens in between the triggers resolving, each instance of Vision will see the same card.
- 817.3.
Vision, and whether or not a permanent has Vision, is a characteristic of the permanent and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 818.1.b.
Equip has a cost to activate and Attaches the card with Equip to a chosen Unit when the cost is paid.
- 818.1.c.1.
If paying costs or making choices for this ability causes triggered abilities to trigger, they will be placed on the chain above this ability in a Pending state.
See rule 376. Activated Abilities for more information.
- 818.1.c.4.
Equip abilities may also include text that alters the Equip cost. Such text is taken into account when determining a card’s Equip cost when paying for the ability.
- 818.1.c.5.
Equip abilities may include text that alters the timing or targeting of the Equip ability.
- 818.2.
When the Attach action completes from this keyword, the Unit that was chosen is considered to have been Equipped by the Gear with this ability.
- 818.3.
Equipped is the state of a Top-Most Card being Attached by one or more cards that are Equipment.
- 818.4.
Multiple instances of Equip are equivalent to multiple Activated Abilities and can each be activated separately by paying the corresponding costs.
- 818.5.
Equip, and whether or not a Gear has Equip, is a characteristic of the Gear and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 820.1.b.
Repeat is an optional cost that a player may pay to execute the effect of their spells and abilities a second time.
- 820.1.c.1.
The Cost is an Additional Cost to be paid during the steps of playing the spell or ability.
- 820.1.c.2.
If a spell or ability has more than one instance of Repeat, each Cost may be paid or not paid individually.
- 820.1.d.
Repeat is functionally short for “You may pay [Cost] as an additional cost as you play this. If you do, execute the instructions of this chain item one additional time during resolution.”
- 820.1.d.1.
When the additional cost is paid, the effect of the spell or ability, upon resolution, will be performed an additional time.
Example: Desert’s Call is a spell with [Repeat] [2] and “Play a 2 [M] Sand
Soldier unit token.” If its controller pays its Repeat cost as they play it, the
card’s instruction to play a Sand Soldier is executed twice, as though the
card says “Play a 2 [M] Sand Soldier unit token. Play a 2 [M] Sand Soldier
unit token.”
Example: A unit reads in part “When I attack or defend, you may deal damage equal to my Might to an enemy unit here,” and “My abilities have [Repeat] — Discard 1.” When its ability triggers, if its controller pays the Repeat cost as they play it, the ability’s instruction to deal damage equal to the unit’s Might is executed twice, as though the ability says “Deal damage equal to my Might to an enemy unit here. Deal damage equal to my Might to an enemy unit here.”
- 820.2.
When a spell or ability’s effect is performed an additional time with Repeat, choices must be made at the usual time during the Make Relevant Choices step of Playing a Card.
See rule 349. Playing Cards for more information.
- 820.2.a.
Choices made for the additional execution do not have to be the same as the choices made for the initial execution.
Example: Rocket Barrage is a spell with [Repeat] [4][C] and “Choose one
— Deal 4 to a unit in a base. [or] Kill a gear.” If Rocket Barrage’s controller
pays its Repeat cost as they play it, they may choose the same mode or a
different one, and if they choose the same mode, may choose the same
target or a different one. If they choose “Kill a gear” twice and choose two
different gear, they must specify which gear is the first target and which
is the second. As the spell resolves, those two gear will be killed in the
chosen order.
- 820.3.
Multiple instances of Repeat can be paid for separately. The spell or ability’s instructions will be executed an additional time on resolution for each instance of Repeat that is paid for.
- 820.3.a.
Regardless of the number of times a spell or ability's instructions are executed with this keyword, it is only Played once.
- 820.4.
Repeat, and whether or not a spell or ability has Repeat, is a characteristic of the spell or ability and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 821.1.b.
Weaponmaster is a Play Effect that chooses an Equipment you control and allows you to pay its Equip cost at a discount, regardless of the usual timing of the Equip ability, to Attach that Equipment to the unit with Weaponmaster.
- 821.1.c.
Weaponmaster is functionally short for: “When you play me, you may choose a Card you control with the Equipment tag. Necessary portions of its Rules Text are no longer Inactive if they are currently Inactive. Pay the cost of its Equip ability, reduced by [A], to attach it to this unit.”
See rule 716. Attachment for more information.
- 821.1.c.2.
The cost of the Equip ability is determined as though that Equip ability was being activated choosing the unit with the Weaponmaster ability, as modulated by any abilities that alter Equip costs.
- 821.1.c.3.
If the chosen card’s Equip cost does not contain [A], it can still be paid, but will not be reduced.
- 821.1.c.5.
If the chosen card’s Equip cost can’t be paid, if it can’t be detached from its current Top-Most card, or if it can’t be attached to the unit with the Weaponmaster ability, it stays in its current location, Attached to anything it was already Attached to.
- 821.1.c.6.
The Equip ability is not activated this way, and the unit with the Weaponmaster ability is not chosen.
- 821.1.d.
If you choose the same target with multiple instances of Weaponmaster, each will resolve separately.
- 821.3.
Weaponmaster, and whether or not a unit has Weaponmaster, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 822.1.b.
It is functionally short for "I may be played to a battlefield where you control Units" and “I have [Reaction] as long as I’m being played to a battlefield where you control Units.”
- 822.1.d.new
Ambush can also appear as a verb on a card. In such a case, the verb is taken to mean “play with the permissions of the Ambush keyword.”
Example: Rengar, Trophy Hunter reads in part “I can [Ambush] to a battlefield where there are enemy units, even if you don't have units there.” This ability expands the normal permissions of the Ambush keyword to include battlefields where there are enemy units.
Example: A card reads in part “Opponents can only [Ambush] at any time they could play cards with [Action].” This ability introduces a restriction to when opponents can play cards with Ambush.
- 822.3.
If there are no units at the location chosen before Finalization completes for any reason, then it is no longer a valid location by Ambush’s reasoning and cannot be played there
- 822.3.a.
Other effects and permissions may still enable this Unit to be able to be played to the selected location, but Ambush’s permission will not be valid
- 822.4.
Ambush, and whether or not a unit has Ambush, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 823.1.c.1.
Hunt is functionally short for: “When I Conquer or Hold, my controller gains X XP.”
See rule 728. XP for more information
- 823.2.
If a Unit has Hunt, or has been granted Hunt, and is granted Hunt by an additional source, the Hunt Value of all granted Hunt keywords is summed.
- 823.3.
Hunt, and whether or not a unit has Hunt, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 824.1.b.
Starting from the Keyword to the end of the clause, the entire statement is the Level Ability.
- 824.1.c.
As long as the controlling player has [N] XP, then the Dependent Ability will be be Active on the card with Level
- 824.1.c.1.
If the controller of the card with Level changes, then the Dependent Ability will be rendered Active or Inactive based on the new controller’s XP.
- 824.1.d.
The Dependent Ability will be Inactive as soon as the controlling player has less than [N] XP.
- 824.2.
Level, and whether or not a card has Level is a characteristic of the card and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 825.3.was 825.2
Unique is not functionally short for any rules text, and instead provides a restriction to players during Deck Construction.
- 825.3.b.new
If a card is a Signature card and is also Unique, then that deck can contain any combination of three Signature cards, but still only one of each named Unique card.
- 825.5.was 825.4
Unique, and whether or not a Card has Unique, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 826.3.
It is functionally short for “I must be assigned lethal damage after any other unit with the same controller as me that does not have [Backline] during the Combat Damage step.”
- 826.4.a.
Players must still assign lethal damage to a unit before moving to the next when assigning their damage.
- 826.4.b.
If more than one unit with Backline is present with the same controller in Combat, damage may be assigned to any of them. Units with Backline are invalid assignments until all units without Backline have lethal damage assigned to them.
- 826.6.
Backline, and whether or not a unit has Backline, is a characteristic of the Unit and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 827.1.b.new
Empower has a cost to activate and Empowers the source of the ability when the cost is paid.
See rule 441. Empower (Game Action) for more information.
- 827.1.c.3.new
Empower abilities may also include text that alters the Empower cost. Such text is taken into account when determining a card’s Empower cost for any reason.
- 827.2.new
When the Empower action completes from this keyword, the source permanent or legend becomes Empowered.
- 827.3.new
Multiple instances of Empower are equivalent to multiple activated abilities and can each be activated separately by paying the corresponding costs.
- 827.4.new
Empower and whether a permanent or legend has Empower are a characteristic of those Game Objects and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 828.1.b.new
Starting from the keyword to the end of the clause, the entire statement is the Empowered Ability.
- 828.1.b.1.new
It is functionally short for “While I have the Empowered status, this card gains ‘[Text]’.”
- 828.1.c.new
As long as the Game Object has the Empowered status, then the Dependent Ability will be active.
- 828.1.d.new
If the Dependent Ability is a Triggered Ability whose condition is “When I become Empowered,” or a permutation thereof, it will be active and trigger when its source becomes Empowered.
- 828.2.new
Empowered and whether or not a card has an Empowered Ability is a characteristic of the card that may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.
- 829.1.b.new
It is functionally short for “You may play this from your trash for its flow cost. Then banish it.”
- 829.1.b.1.new
Banishing the spell in this way is a delayed replacement effect. If the spell would leave the chain after becoming a finalized chain item, and leaving the chain wasn’t instructed by its own execution, banish it instead.
See rule 367. Replacement Effects for more information.
See rule 389. Delayed Abilities for more information.
- 829.1.b.2.new
Playing a spell for its Flow cost does not change the timing at which it can be played, nor any permissions for the spell aside from the zone from which it can be played.
- 829.1.c.1.new
The cost is an alternate cost that replaces the base cost of the spell to be paid during finalization.
- 829.1.c.3.new
If a spell has multiple instances of the Flow keyword with different costs, its controller may choose which cost to apply as they play it.
- 829.2.new
Flow, and whether or not a spell has Flow, is a characteristic of the Spell and may be checked or referenced by other Game Effects.